As they finally got into the late Alpha King's chamber, they laid his body on the grand bed adorned with furs and flowers. One by one, the elders of the pack approached, their voices hushed and respectful, as they said their words of wisdom to the lifeless body.
"Rest in peace, Alpha," murmured Elder Garth, his weathered hands clasped in front of him as he bowed solemnly.
Elder Elara followed, her voice filled with reverence. "May your spirit find peace in the ancestral realm, old friend."
The elders gave their final farewells and slowly made their way out of the chamber, leaving Cedric and Sabrina alone with the still body of the king. Sabrina walked towards her father, tears streaming down her cheeks as she caressed his face and kissed his forehead.
"Rest in peace, father," she whispered before turning away, her eyes flowing with tears. With a heavy heart, she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Left alone with the body of the Alpha King was Cedric, the new Alpha. He stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he gazed down at the man who had once been a formidable leader. His hand casually in his pocket, he stared coldly at the face of the deceased.
"You said over your dead body you'd see me become the alpha," Cedric said, a smirk playing on his lips. He leaned forward, his voice low and tinged with irony. "Well, rest in peace, dear. King. You brought this upon yourself."
With a last glance at the lifeless body on the bed, Cedric turned and walked away. Outside, the gathering of the pack members waited in respectful silence, their eyes turning towards the new Alpha.
Cedric stood before them, his posture confident and his gaze steady as he addressed the assembly. "The late Alpha King will be laid to rest at sunset," he announced, his voice carrying through the room. "We will honour his memory and continue to uphold the traditions of our pack. He went ahead to instruct the warriors of the pack to get the grave ready.
Once at a secluded area, he signalled one of the pack guards to come and as he did, he whispered some dangerous words.
"Good job, well done. Now, make sure his daughter is out of the picture." he Instructed and the guard nodded before they finally went their separate ways.
***
Later that night, Sabrina couldn't bear the loss of her father and realising it happened on the day of her birthday made her heart ache. Since it happened, she had locked herself in her room and did not want anyone's attention and had refused to open up for anyone.
Dishevelled, she made her way to a nightclub in the nearest city from where she lived.
Her eyes downcast, she clutched her glass tightly as she sat slouched at a corner table, surrounded by a sea of strangers lost in their own world. Some were giving lap dances to their opposite gender, some were holding a bottle of alcohol as they gulped it, dancing drunkenly to the background beat.
"Waiter," Sabrina waved. "I need more," she instructed the moment the waiter approached, her voice barely above a whisper as she gestured for more drinks as the waiter brought different kinds of alcoholic drinks. "Which one, miss?" he questioned, showing her varieties of drinks.
"I want all," she replied flatly, her eyes glazed over with an emptiness that mirrored the bottom of her heart. The waiter hesitated for a moment before placing the drinks in front of her as he turned on his heels, leaving her to drown in the pool of her own pain.
As another wave of grief crashed over her, a cold voice cut through the haze of her thoughts. "Pretty," the stranger remarked, his words sharp against the backdrop of the music. Sabrina looked up, her eyes meeting his intense gaze as he took a seat at her table uninvited.
He had an aura of danger about him, the one side of his face adorned with a black tattoo that seemed to seep into his very being. Muscles rippled beneath his dark clothing, his presence intimidating yet undeniably alluring. "How much for a night?" he asked, his tone devoid of any warmth as he appraised her with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"You look good. I'm sure you will be good in bed." He added, smirking coldly.
Sabrina's blood ran cold at his words, a mix of revulsion churning within her. She felt his hand on her hair, brushing it away from her face as he leaned in closer, the breath from his mouth mingled with the smell of alcohol as he spoke.
"I'll pay you $5,000 for the night." He added.
At this point, Sabrina was already drunk. She looked up to him as her words slurred.
"You are so rich." Her statement was followed with a laugh. Her hands moved closer to his chest, touching and feeling every bit of his broad being while his lips never stop letting out mischievous smirks as his eyes travelled to her lips. Staring and imagining how soft it would feel when he kisses her.
"You look scary…" she pulled him closer. "But I am not scared." She whispered at the corner of his ear, her breath brushing the skin in between his neck and ear.
He held her waist as he pulled her closer, their eyes locked as she broke the silence.
"Your lips…" her finger began caressing his lips slowly as she continued. "I love it." She added when suddenly, his lips grabbed her lips hungrily as he began to kiss her like his life was depending on it while his hands roamed around her body and her hands did the same as the background music continued to play. It was obvious they were both enjoying it.
The next day, Sabrina woke up and found herself in a hotel room and beside her, laid the scary looking stranger as he snored in his sleep. Swiftly, she looked into the bedsheet only to realise she was fully naked. Not just that, her jaw dropped the moment she saw the blood stains on the bed and in between her legs.
Realising the gravity of what has happened, she got dressed and rushed out of the room, not minding to wake the stranger up.